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Punggol
Punggol ( , ), alternatively spelt as Ponggol, is a planning area and residential town situated on the Tanjong Punggol peninsula in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town directly borders Sengkang to the south and shares riverine boundaries with the planning area of Seletar to the west and Pasir Ris to the east. Bounding the town to the north and north-east is the Straits of Johor, with Coney Island included as a part of the Punggol planning area. Under the Punggol 21 initiative, plans to turn the area into a new residential town was announced in 1996 and development of the town started in 1998. Due to the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the financial troubles within the construction industry in 2003, the plan did not fully materialize. In 2007, a new initiative, the Punggol 21-plus plan, was introduced to redevelop the area into a waterfront town. Punggol is divided into 7 subzones, namely, Coney Island, Matilda district, Northshore district, Punggol Canal, Punggol Field, Punggol Town Centre and Waterway East district. Etymology Punggol Point or Tanjong Punggol appears as Tanjong Rangon on Franklin and Jackson's 1828 map of Singapore. Punggol, also spelt as Ponggol, means "hurling sticks at the branches of fruit trees to bring them down to the ground" in Malay. It could also refer to a place where fruits and forest produce are offered wholesale and carried away. These possible names indicate that Punggol was a fruit growing district. The place is said to take its name from the river Sungei Ponggol. Ponggol also means "a stump of a tree", especially "a high stump". There are suggestions that the word is Tamil (Pongal, "the feast of the boiling rice", is celebrated when the sun enters the sign of Capricorn). However, the word Ponggol or Punggol is definitely Malay. History Early history Located in the vicinity of the Punggol Jetty, Punggol was believed to have existed 200 years ago before Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore. The Punggol area used to be a well-established rural district dotted with farmhouses and farm structures, which were serviced by roads and dirt tracks. It was one of the oldest settlements in Singapore. The original settlers were predominantly Malays. The early Chinese immigrants, who settled in Punggol from the mid 19th century onwards, were engaged in plantation work, mainly rubber. As the population of the Chinese increased, many Chinese villagers were then engaged in poultry, pig or fish farming, as well as farm produce. The last pig farm closed down in 1990. Hydroponic non-pollutive vegetable farms and orchid farms used to flourish along the Cheng Lim Farmways and Buangkok Farmways, along with old kampongs and low-rise residential areas. Most of these farms have given way to the high-rise HDB flats of Sengkang New Town and Punggol New Town. Historically, Punggol was populated mostly by Teochews and Catholics. However, the original settlers were predominantly Malays. The end of Upper Serangoon Road is known to Teochews as kangkar or "river bank" or "river mouth". Ferries were used on the Serangoon River as transport. An old market was also located here. The Catholic missionaries arrived here 140 years ago and set up churches and schools. A Malay kampong, which has since been cleared, could also be found at Tanjong Punggol. At the end of Punggol Port Road, Indonesian and Malaysian fishermen auctioned their catch at the wholesale fish market. World War II During the Second World War in 1942, about 400 Chinese civilians were massacred by the Japanese military forces at Punggol Point, the northern tip of the area, in what was to be known as the Punggol Beach Massacre as part of the Sook Ching Massacre. Today, that location has been marked as a national heritage site, and a war memorial now exists at the area. Post-war Punggol In the 1960s, basic amenities like piped water, electricity, paved roads, and drainage systems were introduced through government and self-help programmes. It was also at this time that television became popular and antennas could be seen installed on many kampong rooftops. Punggol was also known for its sumptuous seafood and boatels that provided services like docking and renting of boats for boating, water skiing and skindiving lessons. These seafood restaurants and boatels have since been relocated in the mid-1990s to facilitate land reclamation works. Poultry and pig farms were also gradually phased out when redevelopment commenced in the 1970s. The last pig farm closed down in 1990. Land vacated by resettled farmers were then tendered out on short term leases for non-pollutive agricultural activities, which included hydroponic non-pollutive vegetable and orchid farms that used to flourish along the Cheng Lim Farmways and Buangkok Farmways. These farms existed along with old kampongs and low-rise residential areas. Most of these farms have given way to the high-rise HDB flats of Sengkang New Town and Punggol New Town. Only two out of four seafood eateries in Punggol were operated at the old Punggol Point until 1995, were still around in Singapore. Today Punggol 21 In his National Day Rally speech on 18 August 1996, then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced the Singapore Government's plan to develop Punggol, known as "Punggol 21". Punggol 21 was a new model for housing Punggol, which would feature a new concept in housing as a model for new towns in the 21st century. It would have a mix of private houses, executive condominiums, and high-grade HDB flats grouped into smaller, distinctly designed estates. Each estate would contain between 1,200 and 2,800 units, with a common neighbourhood green. Every housing unit would be located within 300 metres of the nearest LRT station. Schools, libraries, and community clubs would be clustered for convenience, and there would be three commercial centres, including shopping centres. A few months after the speech, Punggol 21, which was part of Cheng San Group Representation Constituency then, became an election carrot for the People's Action Party (PAP) to beat a Workers' Party team led by J.B. Jeyaretnam and Tang Liang Hong. At the general election in 1997, the five-man PAP team managed to retain Cheng San GRC with 54.8% of the valid votes. However, Punggol 21 did not materialise fully as Singapore's economy was affected by the Asian economic crisis in 1997. Although construction began the next year, it was stopped when demand for new flats fell sharply. Plans were again delayed when the construction industry in Singapore experienced financial troubles in 2003. As a result, only some 16,000 flats, out of the 80,000 planned units, have been built as at 2007. There was only one shopping mall in the estate, Punggol Plaza, and there were no recreational facilities like cinemas or swimming pools. As of January 2016, a second shopping mall in the estate, Waterway Point, has opened, and recreational facilities have since been planned within the estate. Punggol 21-plus In his National Day Rally speech on 19 August 2007, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong offered a new vision for Punggol New Town, and introduced the "Punggol 21-plus" plan to re-vitalise the town. Under the new plan, Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon, which flank the town, will be dammed up to create a freshwater lake and serve as a reservoir. A 4.2-kilometre long, 20-30-metre wide man-made waterway will run through the estate, linking both rivers. Work on it will start in 2009, and had been completed on 26 October 2011. When built, there will be recreational facilities like water sports for kayaking and canoeing, gardens and parks with jogging and cycling tracks, rooftop gardens, eateries for al fresco dining and a floating island. The "Punggol 21-plus" project involves 18,000 new HDB and private flats, and about 3,000 new flats will be built in Punggol New Town every year. Punggol New Town is projected to have 96,000 units when fully developed in the long term. Waterfront housing will have stepped courtyards. There will be a promenade on the northern sea front, stretching about 8.7 km. An integrated waterfront commercial and residential development has also been planned at the town centre, which will be built on both banks of the waterway. The site for this project was put up for sale and named Waterway Point with condominium - Watertown. There will also be other facilities within the town centre, which includes a community club, regional library and hawker centre in the future. Before General Election 2011, residents were assured that the hawker center will be build at the plot of land between Punggol MRT and Foguan Shan. It had since quietly change the plot of land to "reserved for future high rise development". Punggol Central will be converted into a tree-lined boulevard with landscaping. Coney Island, on the other hand, has already opened itself to the public in 2015. Subzones Public housing blocks *Punggol Field **''Blocks 101-119'' **Punggol Edge - Blocks 120,120A&B,121,121A&B,122,122A-C **''Blocks 126-138'' **''Blocks 162-166B'' **The Sundial - Blocks 167,167A-D,168A&B,169D,170D **The Nautilus - Blocks 168C&D,169,169A-C,170A-C **''Blocks 171-193'' **The Periwinkle - Blocks 194,195,195A-E **''Blocks 201-206B'' **Punggol Sails - Blocks 207,207A-207D,208,208A-C **Punggol Crest - Blocks 209,209A-C,210,210A-C **Punggol Ripples - Blocks 211,211A-D **Punggol Wave - Blocks 212,212A&B,213,213A-C *Matilda District **Matilda Portico - Blocks 217,217A-D,218,219 **Matilda Edge - Blocks 220,220A-C,221,221A&B,222,222A,223,223A,224,224A-C **The Verandah @ Matilda - Blocks 226,226A-D,227A&B **Matilda Sundeck - Blocks 228,228A&B,229A&B **Matilda Court - Blocks 231,231A&B,232,232A-C,233,233A-D,234,234A&B **Punggol Opal - Blocks 256,256A-D,257 **Punggol Topaz - Blocks 258,258A-C,259,259A-C,260A-C,261,261A-C *Punggol Town Centre **Punggol Emerald - Blocks 264,264A,265,265A-D,266,266A-D **Punggol Sapphire - Blocks 267,267A-C,268,268A-D,269,269A-C,270,270A-C **Punggol Residences - Blocks 271,271A-D,272,272A-D **Punggol Regalia - Blocks 273,273A-D,274,274A-D,275 **Punggol Arcadia - Blocks 288,288A-D,289,289A-C **Punggol Grove - Blocks 292-299 **Coralinus - Blocks 301,301A-D,302,302A-D,303,303A-D **Treelodge @ Punggol - Blocks 305,305A-D,306,306A-D *Waterway West District **Waterway Terraces I - Blocks 308,308A-C,309A&B **Waterway Terraces II - Blocks 310,310A-C,311A&B **Punggol Parcvista - Blocks 312,312A-C,313,313A-C **Waterway Cascadia - Blocks 314,314A-C,315,315A-C,316,316A-D **Punggol Bayview - Blocks 321,321A,322,322A-D,323A-D,324,324A,325,325A&B **Punggol Vue - Blocks 326,326A-D,427,327A-C *Northshore District (U/C) **Northshore Edge - Blocks 401-401B,402A-402B **Northshore Residences I - Blocks 405,405A&B,406,406A-C,407A **Northshore Residences II - Blocks 407B&C,408,408A-C,409,409A-D **Northshore Trio - Blocks 410,410A,411,411A&B **Waterfront I @ Northshore - Blocks 413,413A-C,415,415A-D,416,417 **Waterfront II @ Northshore - Blocks 418,419,419A-D,420,420,420A-D **Northshore Straitsview - Blocks 421,421A-C,422,422A&B **Northshore Cove - Blocks 423A-C,425,425A-C *Punggol Point District (U/C) **Punggol Point Woods - Blocks 430, 431,431A-C, 432,432A&B, 433,433A&B **Punggol Point Woods - Blocks 446,446A&B, 447,447A, 448,448A-C *Canal District (U/C) *Waterway East District **Punggol Vista - Blocks 601,601A-D,602,602A-C **Punggol Lodge - Blocks 603,603A-C,604,604A-C **Damai Grove - Blocks 612,612A-D,613,613A-D **Punggol Spring - Blocks 614,614A-C,615A&B **Punggol Breeze - Blocks 616,616A&B,617A-D,618A-D,619A-D **Punggol Spectra - Blocks 621,621A&B,622,622A-D,623,623A-C,624,624A-C **Edgedale Green - Blocks 632,632A-C,633,633A&B,635A-C,636A&B **The Meadows - Blocks 637A-D,638A-C,639,640A&B,641,641A-C,642,642A-D **Eastdale - Blocks 643-652 **Waterway Sunrise II - Blocks 653,653A-D,654,654A-D **Waterway Sunrise I - Blocks 655,655A-C,656,656A-C,657,657A&B **Waterway Sunray - Blocks 658,658A-C,659,659A-D **Waterway Sundew - Blocks 660,660A,661,661A-C,662,662A-D **Waterway Sunbeam - Blocks 663,663A-C,664A&B **Waterway Woodcress - Blocks 665,665A-C,666,666A&B,667,667A&B **Waterway Ridges - Blocks 668,668A&B,669,669A-C,670,670A-D **Waterway Banks - Blocks 671,671A&B,672,672A-C,673,673A-D **Waterway Brooks - Blocks 675,676,676A-D,677,677A-D,678,678A-C,679,679A-D **Waterway View - Blocks 682,682A-C,683,683A-C,684,684A-D *Crescent District (U/C) Matilda Portico is a new HDB apartments in Punggol, Singapore. It will be completed by mid-2017. It is next to Soo Teck LRT Station. Amenities Punggol Waterway and the Park Punggol Waterway is a waterway in Punggol. It goes from Punggol Reservoir to Serangoon Reservoir. Among of these include Punggol Waterway Park. Punggol Waterway Park is a riverine park located in Punggol, Singapore, along Sentul Crescent Road. The park consists of four themed areas. Each area is designated to cater to different users of the park. It was opened for their 27 October 2011 edition. Transportation Urban development into the area has been accelerated with the introduction of better transportational options. The Tampines Expressway (TPE) links Punggol New Town up with Singapore's expressway network. The Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, which provides a direct route to the city area via TPE, was fully opened in September 2008. New roads were also built to ease traffic congestion on Punggol Road. In terms of public transport, the opening of the North-East Line on 20 June 2003, the Punggol LRT Line (East) on 29 January 2005, and the temporary Punggol Bus Interchange adjacent to the Punggol MRT Station on 30 November 2003, while the West Punggol LRT Line was opened, with the last 3 stations (Nibong, Sumang and Soo Teck) currently in operation, on June 29, 2014. As of April, Sam Kee has also opened up, allowing residents to go to the new Punggol SAFRA Club This is a large improvement over what was once only a single bus route, SBS Transit (now operated by Tower Transit)'s Service 84, serving the area along Punggol Road. Punggol Road Punggol Road is a road in Punggol, Singapore; that is used to go from Upper Serangoon Road to Punggol Road End, where it is the only road to go to Punggol till Sengkang and Punggol had been developed much later which is after 1995. Upper Serangoon Road was extended to Sengkang East Drive as well. A section of Punggol Road has walked into history in late August 2018. The pedestrianisation project will convert the 1.3km-long stretch of the road, between Punggol Drive and Ponggol Seventeenth Avenue, into a heritage trail which can also be utilised for jogging and cycling. In the sixties, basic public amenities such as electricity supply, pipped water, street lights and metalled roads were introduced, through both government and gotong royong efforts, to the areas along Punggol Road. Further improvements to Punggol Road were implemented in 1983 for better road safety. The long and narrow road had been plagued by high accident rates due to dim street lights and reckless overtaking by drivers. Several measures taken were the installation of high pressure sodium vapour lamps, using of highly visible thermoplastic paint for lane markings, and the implementation of double white lines. Punggol Way Punggol Way is a road in Singapore, passing through Soo Teck LRT Station and ends at Seletar North Link. This is a staple road for Punggol West, being built in 2002. In January 2016, tender documents has been made for the extension of Punggol Way, that goes along Samudera LRT Station, Punggol Point LRT Station and towards the Punggol Road End, which was recently opened in August 2017. Currently it passes through Soo Teck LRT Station, Sumang LRT Station, Nibong LRT Station, Samudera LRT Station and Punggol Point LRT Station. Commercial facilities ;Punggol Plaza Strategically located near Coral Edge LRT Station, Punggol Plaza is the first shopping mall in Punggol New Town. Opened in September 2004, it offers residents the convenience of fulfilling all their marketing needs at one place, with an NTUC FairPrice supermarket located on the third floor of the plaza and a food court operated by Koufu on the ground floor. Free shuttle services between Punggol Plaza and Sengkang New Town have been provided since September 2004. ;Waterway Point Located beside the Punggol Waterway and Punggol MRT/LRT Station, Waterway Point is the largest mall located in Punggol New Town. It is integrated with a town square and a visitors’ centre which provides an avenue for residents and the public to learn more about the heritage of Punggol through exhibitions and civic and community events and also features the first underground and largest suburban cineplex in Singapore. The mall had a soft launch on January 18, 2016, and was officially opened on April 19, 2016. Recreational facilities ;Punggol Waterway Park Punggol Waterway Park is a riverine park located along the Punggol Waterway. Opened in October 2011, the park is designed with four themes to cater to residents of all ages. It also provides residents opportunities for leisure activities such as jogging and cycling which can be carried out along the promenade at both sides of the waterway. ;Safra Punggol Clubhouse Located near Punggol Waterway Park beside Sam Kee LRT Station on the Punggol LRT West Loop, the Safra Punggol Clubhouse is a five storey recreational facility. Announced to be built in June 2014, the clubhouse caters to mainly NS men and their families features an indoor water playground and a large eco-themed childcare centre. Completed in 2016, the clubhouse houses 10 F&B outlets such as themed restaurants, alfresco dining and quick-service outlets. Punggol Safra was officially opened on April 24, 2016. Educational institutions There are currently nine primary schools and three secondary schools in Punggol New Town. ;Primary schools *Edgefield Primary School, Edgefield Primary School originally opened in January 2001 but could not attract enough students to make even one class. It opened in January 2002 *Greendale Primary School, Greendale Primary School was one of the six new primary schools built in new housing estates and towns so as to cater to smaller class size * Mee Toh School, Mee Toh School moved from Race Course Road to Punggol New Town in January 2006 *Horizon Primary School, Opened in 2012. *Oasis Primary School, Opened in 2016 along with Punggol Cove and Waterway Primary Schools. *Cove Primary School, Opened in 2016 along with Oasis and Waterway Primary Schools. *Punggol Green Primary School, Opened in 2013, Punggol Green Primary will be serving the Punggol West community. It is located at 98 Punggol Walk, next to Punggol Sapphire and Punggol Ripples. *Punggol View Primary School, Opened in 2013, Punggol View Primary operates as a single-session school so as to commit more space and time for holistic education. *Waterway Primary School, Opened in 2016 along with Oasis and Punggol Cove Primary Schools. ;Secondary schools * Greendale Secondary School - Greendale Secondary School opened in January 2006 *Punggol Secondary School - Pei Dao Secondary School was re-named Punggol Secondary School when it was relocated to Punggol New Town in 2001 * Edgefield Secondary School - Edgefield Secondary School opened in January 2011 ;Tertiary institutions *Singapore Institute of Technology (under development), on 23 August 2015, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in his National Day Rally that SIT will have a new centralised campus in Punggol. The University will be integrated with a creative industry cluster to be built by JTC Corporation, and into Punggol Downtown and the Housing Board's upcoming Northshore district. Rivers Punggol Reservoir Sungei Punggol (Malay for Punggol River; Chinese: 榜鵝河; Pinyin: Bǎng'é Hé) is a river located within the North-East Region in Singapore. Other than Punggol New Town, the river flows through 7 other towns in the late 1990s and early 2000s, much of the river banks along Sungei Punggol have since been reclaimed and the river canalised. An artificial man-made floating island has been constructed in the middle of the river in the Sengkang part of the river. Plans are underway to dam up the estuary of Sungei Punggol to form a reservoir, to be ready by 2011. The roads that span over Sungei Punggol include: * Tampines Expressway * Fernvale Street and Anchorvale Street * Sengkang East Way and Sengkang West Way * Sengkang East Avenue and Sengkang West Avenue * Lorong Buang Kok Serangoon Reservoir Sungei Serangoon (Malay for Serangoon River; Chinese: 实龙岗河) is a river in the north-eastern part of Singapore. The 8-kilometre river starts as a canal near Tampines Road, and flows through Hougang, where it is joined by tributary Sungei Pinang just before Sengkang, before flowing towards Lorong Halus, where it is joined by another tributary Sungei Blukar, before emptying into the Serangoon Harbour. The river is also known as the Serangoon Estuary. Since 2011, the river has been converted into a reservoir - Serangoon Reservoir. Although sections of the river have been canalized at Hougang and Lorong Halus, wildlife at the river is relatively unaffected. Birds like herons, terns, kingfishers can still be found at the river. The area near Lorong Halus is considered one of the best bird-watching spots in Singapore. Monitor lizards and sometimes otters can also be found near the banks. The stretch of the river near Hougang has a 2.2 km jogging track (known as the Serangoon Park Connector) running along its western bank. Although this stretch is close to residential areas, a variety of garden, grassland and estuarine birds can still be found there. A number of development projects at Sungei Serangoon had been carried out, which include the construction of an overhead bridge linking Old Tampines Road and KPE (Kranji-Paya Lebar Expressway) to Sengkang and the metal bridge linking Punggol East and Lorong Halus. Another significant project was the damming of the estuary of Sungei Serangoon to form a reservoir (ready in 2011). References * * * External links * Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council * Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Town Portal * Punggol History and Community updates * Punggol News Category:Places in Singapore Category:North-East Region, Singapore Category:Punggol